Threat flares again as bushfires remain uncontained

Nick Ralston, Sarah Whyte and Peter Hannam

The volatile nature of the bushfires still burning across NSW was again underlined on Thursday night, with two massive fires raging uncontained on the western side of the Blue Mountains flaring again and threatening containment lines.

Cool conditions gave some early reprieve to crews on the fire grounds looking to get on top of fires that still burned in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and the Southern Highlands. But by mid-afternoon the state was facing another day of emergency warnings as winds caused havoc again.

''Each and every day [volunteers are] fighting these fires and doing their best,'' Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said. ''The entire east coast has been behind NSW in trying to help the RFS protect communities. We are not out of the woods yet. We have a lot of work to do.''

Emergency recovery co-ordinator for the Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg said there was a serious threat of asbestos in areas where the fire swept through, including the Winmalee area.

Thursday's emergency warnings were for the State Mine fire, which was started by the Defence Force a week ago, and the Mount York fires - both burning in the western parts of the Blue Mountains. The two blazes were linked as part of high-risk firefighting strategies that have been put in place to try to stem any further property loss.

However, late on Thursday night the warnings were downgraded to watch and act.

Fire was also threatening the tiny townships of Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine, which have been terrorised now for a week.

Both townships were again isolated by fire, with the RFS telling residents it was too late to leave.

We are not out of the woods yet.

On the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, the Springwood fire again flared up due to south-westerly winds but remained within containment lines. It remained on a watch-and-act level on Thursday night but has already destroyed just under 200 homes.

Outside the Blue Mountains, two other fires burned under watch-and-act, the second-highest alert level issued by the RFS. They were the Gateshead fire, south of Newcastle, and the Southern Highlands fire, which has burnt now for more than a week near the villages of Yerrinbool, Balmoral, Yanderra, Pheasants Nest, Wilton, Bargo and Buxton, with 200 firefighters still on the ground there.

From Friday to Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology is expecting relatively calm conditions - and lots of sun - for Sydney, with temperatures reaching a peak in the range of 23-24 degrees.

Importantly, though, the bureau has now scaled back the temperature outlook for Tuesday, which is looming as the next big day of concern for fire authorities.

The bureau now expects 27 degrees for Sydney on Tuesday (down from a predicted forecast of 31), with winds shifting from the north to the south-west during the morning, matching in some ways the conditions seen last Thursday but without the heat spike.

Still, Penrith may get 32 on Tuesday - cooler than the forecast of 35 degrees, but not that comfortable.

Unfortunately, the bureau does not see much in the way of rain over the next week for Sydney or the fire-hit regions to the west, although coastal regions may receive a few showers.